Cross Pointe Women

The Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. Genesis 39:3b

Joseph becomes a slave in Potiphar’s house Genesis 39:1-20

Could life look any bleaker than being left to die in a cold, dark hole in the earth? Can you imagine the despair you would have felt as a teenager in such a situation and the agony of knowing that your own family members had treated you this way? The sense of betrayal would be overwhelming. Taking the story further we see in Genesis 37:26-27 that Judah and all of Joseph’s brothers except for the eldest, Reuben, agreed to pull Joseph up out of that pit, not to rescue him but to sell him. Yet the scripture assures us that the Lord was with Joseph… in the pit and in slavery.

Even when we don’t feel God near, when we can’t see what He is doing in our lives, when we don’t understand why things are happening to us, we can rest in the knowledge that God is with us. The story of the Lord being with Joseph is an assurance of the Lord being with us too. Not because we are favored like Joseph but because the Lord is faithful and unchanging. He is an ever present God. We know this because He tells us this in Psalm 139:1-12

Psalm 139:1-10
O LORD You have searched me and You know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; You perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; You are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue You know it completely, O LORD. You hem me in—behind and before; You have laid Your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty to attain. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.

If God is everywhere as He claims to be - where else could He be if not with us?

Joseph knew that the Lord was with him. His life reflects the knowledge that regardless of the trials he was facing and even in the triumphs he experienced; the LORD was with him always. Do you know this truth? How different would our lives be if we lived, walked, and breathed in the reality that the Lord is with us?


Being sold into slavery was devastating and yet, God was in control - God’s will for Joseph was not to be mistreated but He knew the free will of his brothers’ and made provision for Joseph in the tsunamis of his life. It’s like a spiritual chess match - and God is always ready to move and counter move on our behalf.  God is the ultimate chess master - there are no stalemates or draws - we will ultimately hear our heavenly master say “Checkmate”. God orchestrated everything for Joseph - the timing, the trader and ordained his purchaser. Joseph was sold to a high ranking official in Egypt. He became the property of a man named Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard. The best estimate of Joseph’s age at this time would probably have been between the ages of eighteen and twenty years old. 


Joseph trusted God and while he waited on God’s promises to be fulfilled, he got busy. Joseph used the talents he had been blessed with right where he was. He was different from those around him and prospered in Potiphar’s household. Gen. 39:2 says he became a successful man. His master, Potiphar, was blessed through him Gen. 39:3. Because of Joseph’s blooming where he was planted, he became highly favored and was put in charge of everything Potiphar owned.

How can Joseph’s life show us how to live differently? Why does God tell us these stories? Why does God reveal details of people who lived thousands of years ago in distant lands? What are we to glean from these stories and apply to our own lives?

Joseph was faithful - to the LORD and to those in authority over him. Joseph was completely trustworthy. His master soon learned that Joseph was a man of impeccable integrity. Joseph was diligent and excellent in all his endeavors. His gained favor in his master’s eyes because of his work ethic.

Maybe the LORD uses these stories, the lives of people like Joseph to encourage us, to remind us that regardless of the messes we find ourselves in, He is with us and His ultimate plan for us will not be thwarted. How different would we deal with our trials if we kept our focus on the LORD and what we knew to be true? How much more humble would we be in our triumphs if we recognized and acknowledged that those mountaintops could not have been summited but for the Lord working out the intricacies of the most infinitesimal details of our lives?

LORD, thank You for the truths You reveal in Your precious words to us. I pray that we would be found faithful like Joseph, regardless of any stumbling blocks You allow to cross our paths. I pray that we would be found completely trustworthy by all who come into contact with us. I pray that we would be a people of impeccable integrity. Lord, prompt us to be diligent and excellent in every endeavor. LORD may we find favor in all those we have dealings with, whether they be high above us in position or rank, or the lowest of the low in society but most importantly, may we find favor in Your eyes. In the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.